By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg-Three men appeared before Rustenburg Magistrate Court on Wednesdy in connection of murder.

Msobe Lungisani (23), Mafu Mantashe (30) and Mfundo

Mantashe (38) appeared in the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on

Wednesday for the murder of Dumisani Dlamini (33).

“The appearance of the accused follows an intensive investigation and arrest by the Platinum Belt Taxi Violence Task Team. The accused were arrested on 11 and 16 September 2013 respectively” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said. 

The crime was committed at about 20:35 on 29 August 2013 at the Wonderkop Taxi Rank in

Marikana, where a former Lonmin employee and taxi owner was shot in the chest several times.

“The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lt Gen Zukiswa Mbombo thanked the recently-established Mine Crime Combating Forum (MCCF), the

community of Marikana, as well as the task team for the breakthrough” Ngubane said.

Police said the investigation continues, and the community is

requested to give any information they have to the police.

The case was postponed to 20 September 2013 for further investigation and the accused will remain in custody.-TDN

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Ogies-A man believed to be in his 40’s passed away last night when the bakkie he was travelling in left the road and overturned in the early hours of this morning.

ER24 Paramedics were dispatched to the N12 near Ogies, where they found the man outside the vehicle, possibly being flung out during the rollover.

The vehicle was found beside the road in a field where it came to a standstill after it overturned.

“Unfortunately nothing further could be done to help him and he was declared deceased on the scene” Er24 spokesperson Vanessa Jackson said.

No other vehicles were involved and it is unclear what had caused the incident.-TDN

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Johannesburg – Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa is expected to release the national crime statistics on Thursday.

Last year the figures released by Mthethwa showed that the actual murder rate had dropped marginally, with 331 fewer people killed in 2012 compared to 2011.

An analysis done by SAPS research task team head at the time, Mzwandile Petros, showed totals for five of the country’s most serious crimes for the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012:

– Murder: 15 609 (previous year 15 940);

– Attempted murder: 14 859 (previous year 15 493);

– Assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm: 192 651 (previous year 198 602);

– Common Assault: 181 670 (previous year 185 891); and

– Sexual offences: 64 514 (previous year 66 196).

Violent crime in provinces had reduced in all but three provinces.

Limpopo, Free State and Western Cape recorded an increase in contact crimes, which include murder, assault, robbery and rape.

The other six provinces contributed to the overall decline in contact crimes by 3.5%.

Gauteng saw an 11% drop in violent crime – the most notable in the country.

Emerging security threats

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) crime and justice programme head Gareth Newham welcomed the reduction in violent crime categories but said the statistics did not reflect some serious emerging security threats facing the country.

These included corruption, public violence, group murders, political assassinations, and domestic violence.

Newham urged Mthethwa to allow the police to provide more regular and detailed information on these crimes. Corruption Watch executive director David Lewis said the statistics did not provide the information necessary to beef up the battle against corruption.

It appeared that the crime statistics categorised much of the reporting of corruption as common fraud.

SAPA

By TDN

Taung-Three life sentences should serve as a deterrent and restore confidence in

criminal justice system-Premier Modise  *

North West Premier Thandi Modise has welcomed the three life sentences given to a man accused of murder, rape and robbery.

Premier Modise said that the sentence given to Matthews Koko Moeketsi by

the North  West High Court on Tuesday should serve as a deterrent that

should sent a strong  and unequivocal message that there is no place in

society for those who terrorise the aged ,the vulnerable and perpetrators

of the scourge of rape against women and children.

“These are the harsher sentences that should restore the confidence of our

communities in the criminal justice system for indeed justice has been

served. We wish to commend the prosecution and the police for a job

well-done” stressed Modise.

Mooketsi was sentenced on Tuesday for raping an elderly woman, murdering

her husband and robbing them in Pampierstad. He was given a life sentence

for each crime.

According to police, the 30-year-old Mooketsi had stormed into the elderly

couple’s home in Itireleng Village on New Year’s Eve in 2011.

He allegedly raped and assaulted the 62-year-old woman and assaulted her

85-year-old husband, who was blind and thereafter robbed them of clothes

and household appliances.

The couple was taken to Taung hospital, where the husband later died.

Mooketsi was caught three months later in Bloemfontein.-TDN

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Potchefstroom – The ANC retained control of two of the three wards in the Tlokwe by-elections in the North West on Wednesday.

The party’s candidate Oupa Mogoshane lost Ward 26 with 900 votes to independent candidate Batiki “Stone” Mahlabe’s 1 425 votes, according to the IEC’s results report.

The United Christian Democratic Party candidate Moeketsi Phakedi received 10 votes.

A total of 5 677 people were registered to vote in the ward of which only 2 374 cast their ballot. There were 39 spoilt votes.

Mahlabe, who was a former ANC councillor in the area for 12 years, registered as an independent candidate after he was expelled along with 13 others from the party in July for participating in a motion of no confidence against Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle.

Independent candidate

Maphetle was replaced by Democratic Alliance councillor Annette Combrink. However, the ANC’s national disciplinary committee overturned the expulsions but Mahlabe decided not to return to the party.

In the 2011 local government elections, the African National Congress won Ward 26 with 3 403 of the 3 580 valid votes cast, which gave them an overwhelming majority of 95.06% of the votes.

The ANC won the by-elections in Ward six and 18 on Wednesday. In Ward 18 the ANC faced off with another former party member and provincial chief whip David Kham, who registered as an independent candidate.

Kham, like Mahlabe, was one of the 14 councillors expelled from the party.

ANC candidate Thapelo Skozana won with 884 to Kham’s 520 votes. The Azanian People’s Organisation’s Matladi Mofokeng received 11 votes and the UCDP’s Molebatsi Lehloo 10 votes.

Spoilt votes

A total of 3 251 people were registered to vote in Ward 18 but only 1 452 votes were cast and 27 of those were spoilt.

In 2011, the ANC won the ward with 1 859 of the 2 009 votes cast which resulted in a 94.37% victory.

In Ward six the ANC’s Japhta Monaisa won 882 of the 1 386 valid votes cast. The Democratic Alliance’s Johann Coetzee came in second with 493 votes.

Azapo’s Lesego Malepe received six votes and UCDP’S Mawela Dinko received five votes.

A total of 4 254 people were registered to vote in Ward six but only 1 408 came to the polls. There were 22 spoilt votes.

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